STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford sailing team looks to build on a successful 2014-15 campaign which included a sweep of the PCCSC Conference Championships and several strong finishes at nationals.
Eighth-year head coach John Vandemoer welcomes nine new faces to the team and feels the early part of the season will be integral to the group’s success.
“The key to development of any young team is thoughtful experience,” said Vandemoer. “It is about focusing on the right things at practice to set them up to learn during the early season regattas.”
After losing All-Americans Kieran Chung and Haley Kirk and All-PCCSC skipper Hans Henken, the Cardinal will hit the water with a young team. Vandemoer believes the squad’s youthfulness will help the group find its own identity.
“We expect the returners to step up to the plate, lead by example and take the responsibility for the team’s improvement,” he added. “I’m excited to see what this team grows into and how the new leadership of the team leads and makes it their own.”
Vandemoer also welcomes a new member to his staff in the form of Atlantic Brugman. A native of Barcelona, Spain, Brugman graduated from Connecticut College in 2013 with a degree in international relations. She was named All-America twice in her college sailing career.
The Cardinal set sail in its first event this past weekend, finishing seventh at the Hatch Brown Trophy.
Axel Sly took the reigns as A-class skipper and finished eighth in the division with crew Sarah Lucas. Skipper Reinier Eenkema van Dijk and crew Kennedy Placek took 12th place in the B division, and Lily Katz skippered Stanford’s C-unit to fourth place in the division with crew John Cannistraro.
This weekend, Stanford’s PCCSC campaign begins with the men’s and women’s Singlehanded Conference Championships. The Cardinal will also send teams to the St. Mary’s Coed Regatta in St. Mary’s City, Maryland, and the Trojan Women’s Invite in Long Beach, California.
Live results are available at CollegeSailing.org.
